Managing reuse of assets in a workflow management system

ABSTRACT

A category is determined of a task being planned at a given time. A collection of assets is identified, the collection having been used in a similar task at a past time. An experience report associated with an asset in the collection is extracted into a set of encapsulated experience reports, where the experience report was generated from the similar task at the past time. A degree of usability is computed corresponding to the collection, the collection being usable in the category of the task up to the degree of usability. According to the degree of usability of the collection, the collection is positioned in a sorted list of reusable assets. A reusable asset is selected from the sorted list for use in the task.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to a method, system, andcomputer program product for reusing assets in workflow managementsystem. More particularly, the present invention relates to a method,system, and computer program product for managing reuse and evaluationof assets in a workflow management system.

BACKGROUND

Within the scope of the illustrative embodiments, the workflow of asoftware development process comprises development or coding of computerusable software, testing of computer usable software, troubleshooting ofcomputer usable software, maintenance of computer usable software, orupdate of computer usable software. A task refers to a specific stepperformed during the process, such as testing of computer usablesoftware in software development. Hereinafter, unless expresslydisambiguated where used, an “asset” is any reusable portion of—computerusable code, a previously performed task, a role or a user participatingin a previously performed task, a solution developed in a previouslyperformed task, a method applied in a previously performed task, aworkflow or steps employed in a previously performed task, or somecombination thereof.

Presently, one type of asset that is saved for future reuse is computerusable code or code fragment. When saved, the reusable code is stored ina code repository. A user intending to reuse the code extracts the codefrom the repository and uses the code as the user sees fit for theuser's task. The user may or may not place any modifications to theextracted code back into the repository. Even when the modified code isplaced back in the repository, rarely does any additional information,such as feedback or frequently asked questions, remain associated withthe code.

SUMMARY

The illustrative embodiments provide a method, system, and computerprogram product. An embodiment includes a method that determines acategory of a task being planned at a given time. The embodimentidentifies a collection of assets, wherein the collection has been usedin a similar task at a past time. The embodiment extracts into a set ofencapsulated experience reports, an experience report associated with anasset in the collection, wherein the experience report was generatedfrom the similar task at the past time. The embodiment computes, using aprocessor and a memory, a degree of usability corresponding to thecollection, the collection being applicable to the category of the taskup to the degree of usability. The embodiment positions, according tothe degree of usability of the collection, the collection in a sortedlist of reusable assets. The embodiment selects a reusable asset fromthe sorted list for use in the task.

An embodiment includes a computer program product. The computer programproduct includes one or more computer-readable storage devices, andprogram instructions stored on at least one of the one or more storagedevices.

An embodiment includes a computer system. The computer system includesone or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, and oneor more computer-readable storage devices, and program instructionsstored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for executionby at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of theone or more memories.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The novel features believed characteristic of the invention are setforth in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, as well asa preferred mode of use, further objectives and advantages thereof, willbest be understood by reference to the following detailed description ofthe illustrative embodiments when read in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram of a network of data processing systemsin which illustrative embodiments may be implemented;

FIG. 2 depicts a block diagram of a data processing system in whichillustrative embodiments may be implemented;

FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram of an example configuration for managingreuse of assets in a workflow management system in accordance with anillustrative embodiment;

FIG. 4A depicts a block diagram of a method for managing reuse of assetsin a workflow management system in accordance with an illustrativeembodiment;

FIG. 4B depicts a block diagram of a nested encapsulated asset inaccordance with an illustrative embodiment;

FIG. 5 depicts a flowchart of an example process for categorizing areusable asset in accordance with an illustrative embodiment;

FIG. 6 depicts a flowchart of an example process for associatingreusable assets with a task in accordance with an illustrativeembodiment; and

FIG. 7 depicts a flowchart of an example process for dynamicrecategorization of reusable assets in accordance with an illustrativeembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The illustrative embodiments recognize that presently, in most casesconcerning software development workflows, a code fragment that itsdeemed reusable is harvested for reuse as an after-thought. Generally,when a development project finishes, harvesting any aspect of thedevelopment effort for reuse is often overlooked, or accomplished withminimal expense of time and effort. Whatever code is harvested for reuseis generally left in a skeletal form with little to no information toguide the reuse of the code in future tasks.

The illustrative embodiments further recognize that even when a codefragment is available for reuse, the reusing of existing code is viewedas an effort-intensive, governance-heavy, and uncertainty-riddenproposition. The lack of accompanying information to facilitate thereuse is a big reason for this view.

The illustrative embodiments recognize that in enterprises where reuseis encouraged, the reusable code fragments quickly grow in numbers andbecome unmanageable. When the volume of reusable code fragments iscoupled with the lack of associated information to guide future reuse ofthe code fragments, the reuse effort is quickly defeated due tounmanageability, effort-intensiveness, governance-heaviness, anduncertainty problems. Furthermore, the potential reusers presently donot know which of the plurality of assets have been successfully appliedto specific categories of problems with which the reuser is currentlyengaged.

The illustrative embodiments recognize that reuse of any asset, not justcode fragments, becomes desirable when the assets are managed in a waythat the assets remain controllable by those who create them or areresponsible for them. The reusability of an asset also benefits whensufficient information is associated with the asset to guide thesuitability determination and other decisions pertaining to the asset ina future task. The illustrative embodiments further recognize that anagent responsible for executing a task is more likely to reuse an assetwhen it can be determined that the asset has been reused successfullywith favorable reuse experience in a previous task of a similar type.The presently available methods of managing assets fail to solve theseproblems and therefore fail to promote the reuse of those assets in agiven workflow management system.

The illustrative embodiments used to describe the invention generallyaddress and solve the above-described problems and other problemsrelated to reusing a variety of assets in work flow driven processessuch as software development.

An embodiment can be implemented as a software application. Theapplication implementing an embodiment can be configured as amodification of an existing task planning system, as a separateapplication that operates in conjunction with an existing taskmanagement tool or system, a standalone application, or some combinationthereof.

Within the scope of the illustrative embodiments, an asset can becreated, stored, or located anywhere in a given environment and need notbe brought into a managed repository for facilitating reuse. Forexample, when the asset is a code fragment, that code fragment canreside on any computer, in any storage, with or without the benefit of acode management library-type facility. As another example, when theasset is all or a portion of the result of a task, whether in plan, inprogress, or previously performed, information of that task can residein any suitable task management system anywhere in the given workflowmanagement system. As another example, when the asset is all or aportion of a previously developed solution, method, or workflow,information of that solution, method, or workflow can reside in anysuitable system anywhere in the given workflow management system.

An embodiment maintains a reference to an asset. A reference to an assetis an identifier, locator, pointer, or handle, which can be used toreach the asset at a location where the asset is normally stored orsituated.

An embodiment maintains a set of experience reports with an asset. Anexperience report is a compilation of information in any suitable formor structure, where the information is indicative of a time when theasset was previously used in a task, a reason why the asset was chosenfor a previous task, an actual manner in which the asset was used orreused in the previous task, an evaluation of the asset's suitabilityobserved in the previous task on a scale, a notation of an aspect of theasset that was reused advantageously in the previous task, a notation ofan aspect of the asset that could not be reused advantageously in theprevious task, a modification performed relative to the asset to enablethe reuse of the asset in the previous task, a modification that isrecommended relative to the asset to enable the reuse of the asset in afuture task, questions, positive and negative comments, issues thatshould be resolved with the asset, recommendations for improvements inthe asset, alternatives that could be used or executed instead of theasset, or some combination thereof.

Note that a previous task can be any task prior to a task in which thereuse of the asset is contemplated. A future task can be the task inwhich the reuse of the asset is contemplated, or generally, any taskthat has not yet used the asset after the asset's use in a previoustask.

An embodiment enables a task to add or update an experience reportassociated with an asset when an input accepts the asset for reuse inthe task, accesses the asset using a reference to the asset, andassociates the referenced asset with the task. An embodiment collectsinformation of any of the types described herein during the use of theasset in the task. For example, if the asset is modified during thereuse in the task, the embodiment prompts, requests, or otherwiseobtains information to be added to an experience report of the asset. Asa non-limiting example, the information can be about the modification,the suitability of the asset, a changed aspect of the asset, anadvantage or a disadvantage that caused the modification, or arecommendation for further modification of the asset.

An embodiment uses the sets of experience reports associated withvarious reusable assets to select an asset for a task. Each reusableasset is categorized into one or more categories. A category associatedwith an asset is a category of a task in which the asset is usable. Acategory of a task is a class or type of a function to be performed inthe task, an operation to be performed by the task, a goal to beachieved by the task, and the like.

As a non-limiting example, an embodiment determines one or morecategories associated with the task for which reusable assets have to belocated in the workflow management system. For example, a task may be toproduce software that performs data storage management using data inputand output functions, storage cleanup, data backup, and many otherfunctions. One or more categories that could be determined for the taskmay include, data storage management, data input, data output, storagecleanup, and data backup.

An embodiment determines a category of the asset by analyzing one ormore experience reports associated with the asset. For example, ifaccording to an experience report from a previous task, the asset wasused in a task of category—data input, the asset is categorized in thedata input category. Any suitable manner of analyzing the availableexperience reports can be used to determine an asset category. Forexample, a value of a parameter in a structured experience report can beused, translated, or mapped to a category. As another example, a parseof unstructured experience report data using Natural Language Processing(NLP) can be used to determine a category for the asset.

These examples of methods for determining an asset category are notintended to be limiting. From this disclosure, those of ordinary skillin the art will be able to conceive many other methods for determining acategory for the asset, and the same are contemplated within the scopeof the illustrative embodiments.

Any number of categories can be associated with an asset. As newexperience reports become associated with the asset, an existingexperience report is revised, or some combination thereof, an embodimentreanalyzes the experience reports to determine a new category, change anexisting category, or remove an old category associated with the asset.The categorization of an asset is therefore dynamic, and changes withthe reuse in which the asset participates.

Furthermore, an embodiment computes a priority of the asset in acategory. For example, an asset may be categorized in three differentcategories. The experience reports of the asset may show that the assetwas successfully reused without much modification in a task of the firstcategory. The experience reports of the asset may show that an aspect ofthe asset was successfully reused without much modification but anotheraspect has to be modified in a task of the second category. Theexperience reports of the asset may also show that the reuse of theasset was unsuccessful in a task of the third category, and the reuserequired significant modifications to the asset to make it work in thetask.

A priority of an asset in a category is indicative of a degree of fit orusability of the asset in the category. By analyzing such an examplecollection of experience reports, an embodiment determines that thepriority, or degree of usability, or degree of fit, of the asset in thefirst category is greater than in the second and third categories, theleast fitting category being the third category for the asset.

As another example manner of determining a priority of an asset (X) in acategory assume that there are twenty experience reports of asset X thatare related to category A, ten experience reports related to category B,and three experience reports related to category C. Given that moretasks of category A have used the asset than tasks of category B or C,the embodiment determines that the asset has a higher priority incategory A, next lower priority in category B, and least priority incategory C.

Now, further assume that an asset Y also exists in category A withthirty associated experience reports in category A; and an asset Z alsoexists in category C with one associated experience report in categoryC. Under these example circumstances, asset X would be prioritized lowerthat asset Y in category A but higher than asset Z in category C.

Consider another non-limiting example—a task of a certain type costs nunits, and generates m units of revenue. The task uses certain assets.Asset 1 may help reduce the cost of the task from n to k. Asset 2 mayhelp reduce the number of future tasks of that certain type. In oneexample implementation of the prioritization function used in theanalysis of an embodiment, the implementation may cause the embodimentto prioritize asset 2 higher than asset 1. Depending upon theimplementation, another implementation may use a differentprioritization function and cause the embodiment to prioritize asset 1higher than asset 2.

These examples of manners of determining a priority of an asset are notintended to be limiting. From this disclosure, those of ordinary skillin the art will be able to conceive many other ways in which to makesimilarly purposed determinations and the same are contemplated withinthe scope of the illustrative embodiments.

An embodiment facilitates the reuse of assets in future tasks asfollows—the embodiment receives information about a task, e.g., from atask management tool. In a task mapping operation, the embodimentdetermines a category of the task. In other words, the embodiment mapsthe task to one or more categories of tasks. New categories may becreated during the task mapping process.

The embodiment determines assets that are categorized in that category.The embodiment arranges the assets in that category according to theirrespective priorities. The embodiment presents the sorted prioritizedlist of assets to the task management tool. The list includes referencesto the assets, wherever they might be located. The task management toolis also presented with the experience reports of the assets in the listso that the task planner can review the experience reports if needed.

The task management tool provides an input to the embodiment forselecting an asset from the list. Upon the input, the embodimentassociates the selected asset for reuse in the task. The embodimentenables the task to add or modify an experience report of the asset fromthe time of the association up to and even after the time when the taskis complete or up to some time prior to the completion of the task, assuitable in a particular implementation of the embodiment.

Thus, the reuse of an asset also modifies the asset in at least one orboth of two ways—first, because the experience reports are a part of thereusable asset, addition or manipulation of an experience report of anasset during a reuse comprises modifying the asset; and second, an assetcan be modified during the reuse—e.g., a portion of a code fragmentasset can be changed—which also comprises modifying the asset. When areused asset changes, e.g., because one task that is reusing the assetmay have added an experience report, another task that is reusing theasset is notified of the changes. Such a notification helps the othertask, and generally any number of tasks that may be reusing an asset toreevaluate their reuse in view of the changes made to the asset.

A task may use several assets. When presented with information about atask being planned, the embodiment determines from the experiencereports of the various assets whether a set or collection of the assetshas previously participated in a similar task. If a previous tasksimilar to the task being planned has used a collection of assets, theembodiment selects that collection of assets. The embodiment furtherisolates experience reports created during the similar previous task foreach participating asset in the collection. The experience reportsisolated in this manner form encapsulated experience reports.

The embodiment represents the collection of assets and their experiencereports as an encapsulated asset. The encapsulated asset has theencapsulated experience reports associated therewith.

The embodiment may find more than one collections that may haveparticipated in different instances of similar previous tasks. Thus, theembodiment may create multiple encapsulated assets and theircorresponding encapsulated experience reports. The embodiment determinesthe priorities of encapsulated assets in a manner similar to determiningthe priority of an asset, i.e., by analyzing the encapsulated experiencereports of the encapsulated asset.

Once the priorities of the several encapsulated assets has beendetermined, the embodiment presents the encapsulated asset, theircorresponding encapsulated experience reports, their priorities,arranged in an order according to their priorities for selection in atask in a manner similar to presenting the assets for selection. Thus, atask management tool can select an individual asset for reuse, acollection of assets for reuse, or some combination of both, dependingon the requirements of the task.

A method of an embodiment described herein, when implemented to executeon a device or data processing system, comprises substantial advancementof the functionality of that device or data processing system in reusingexisting assets in a workflow management system. For example, presentlyavailable methods are suitable only for limited types of assets andrequire those types of assets to be deposited in a managed repositoryfrom where they can be extracted for reuse. The repository does not keepadditional information associated with the assets that may be useful inmaking a reuse decision with respect to an asset. An embodiment of thisinvention provides a method for reusing an asset in-situ, i.e., fromwherever the asset may be located in a workflow management system. Theembodiment also keeps as a part of the asset a set of experience reportswhich is useful in a reuse decision making process with respect to theasset. An embodiment further creates an encapsulated asset from acollection of assets used in various previous tasks. The encapsulatedasset has a set of encapsulated experience reports associated therewith.An embodiment thus enables a future task to select an entire collectionof reusable assets that was used in a similar previous task. This mannerof managing reuse of assets in a workflow management system isunavailable in the presently available methods. Thus, a substantialadvancement of such devices or data processing systems by executing amethod of an embodiment is in increasing informed reuse of a variety oftypes of assets in a workflow management system.

The illustrative embodiments are described with respect to certain typesof assets, locations, references, times, experience reports, categories,priorities, tasks, devices, data processing systems, environments,components, and applications only as examples. Any specificmanifestations of these and other similar artifacts are not intended tobe limiting to the invention. Any suitable manifestation of these andother similar artifacts can be selected within the scope of theillustrative embodiments.

Furthermore, the illustrative embodiments may be implemented withrespect to any type of data, data source, or access to a data sourceover a data network. Any type of data storage device may provide thedata to an embodiment of the invention, either locally at a dataprocessing system or over a data network, within the scope of theinvention. Where an embodiment is described using a mobile device, anytype of data storage device suitable for use with the mobile device mayprovide the data to such embodiment, either locally at the mobile deviceor over a data network, within the scope of the illustrativeembodiments.

The illustrative embodiments are described using specific code, designs,architectures, protocols, layouts, schematics, and tools only asexamples and are not limiting to the illustrative embodiments.Furthermore, the illustrative embodiments are described in someinstances using particular software, tools, and data processingenvironments only as an example for the clarity of the description. Theillustrative embodiments may be used in conjunction with othercomparable or similarly purposed structures, systems, applications, orarchitectures. For example, other comparable mobile devices, structures,systems, applications, or their architectures, may be used inconjunction with such embodiment of the invention within the scope ofthe invention. An illustrative embodiment may be implemented inhardware, software, or a combination thereof.

The examples in this disclosure are used only for the clarity of thedescription and are not limiting to the illustrative embodiments.Additional data, operations, actions, tasks, activities, andmanipulations will be conceivable from this disclosure and the same arecontemplated within the scope of the illustrative embodiments.

Any advantages listed herein are only examples and are not intended tobe limiting to the illustrative embodiments. Additional or differentadvantages may be realized by specific illustrative embodiments.Furthermore, a particular illustrative embodiment may have some, all, ornone of the advantages listed above.

With reference to the figures and in particular with reference to FIGS.1 and 2, these figures are example diagrams of data processingenvironments in which illustrative embodiments may be implemented. FIGS.1 and 2 are only examples and are not intended to assert or imply anylimitation with regard to the environments in which differentembodiments may be implemented. A particular implementation may makemany modifications to the depicted environments based on the followingdescription.

FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram of a network of data processing systemsin which illustrative embodiments may be implemented. Data processingenvironment 100 is a network of computers in which the illustrativeembodiments may be implemented. Data processing environment 100 includesnetwork 102. Network 102 is the medium used to provide communicationslinks between various devices and computers connected together withindata processing environment 100. Network 102 may include connections,such as wire, wireless communication links, or fiber optic cables.

Clients or servers are only example roles of certain data processingsystems connected to network 102 and are not intended to exclude otherconfigurations or roles for these data processing systems. Server 104and server 106 couple to network 102 along with storage unit 108.Software applications may execute on any computer in data processingenvironment 100. Clients 110, 112, and 114 are also coupled to network102. A data processing system, such as server 104 or 106, or client 110,112, or 114 may contain data and may have software applications orsoftware tools executing thereon.

Only as an example, and without implying any limitation to sucharchitecture, FIG. 1 depicts certain components that are usable in anexample implementation of an embodiment. For example, servers 104 and106, and clients 110, 112, 114, are depicted as servers and clients onlyas example and not to imply a limitation to a client-serverarchitecture. As another example, an embodiment can be distributedacross several data processing systems and a data network as shown,whereas another embodiment can be implemented on a single dataprocessing system within the scope of the illustrative embodiments. Dataprocessing systems 104, 106, 110, 112, and 114 also represent examplenodes in a cluster, partitions, and other configurations suitable forimplementing an embodiment.

Device 132 is an example of a device described herein. For example,device 132 can take the form of a smartphone, a tablet computer, alaptop computer, client 110 in a stationary or a portable form, awearable computing device, or any other suitable device. Any softwareapplication described as executing in another data processing system inFIG. 1 can be configured to execute in device 132 in a similar manner.Any data or information stored or produced in another data processingsystem in FIG. 1 can be configured to be stored or produced in device132 in a similar manner.

Application 105 implements an embodiment described herein. As somenon-limiting examples, asset 107 may be an implementation of aworkflow-type of an asset; asset 111 may be code-type of an asset; andasset 113 may be a previously performed task, solution, or method-typeof an asset. Another example asset may be formed using role 134Aassociated with user 134B of device 132. Task management tool 115 plansa future task in which one or more assets described herein are to bereused.

Servers 104 and 106, storage unit 108, and clients 110, 112, and 114 maycouple to network 102 using wired connections, wireless communicationprotocols, or other suitable data connectivity. Clients 110, 112, and114 may be, for example, personal computers or network computers.

In the depicted example, server 104 may provide data, such as bootfiles, operating system images, and applications to clients 110, 112,and 114. Clients 110, 112, and 114 may be clients to server 104 in thisexample. Clients 110, 112, 114, or some combination thereof, may includetheir own data, boot files, operating system images, and applications.Data processing environment 100 may include additional servers, clients,and other devices that are not shown.

In the depicted example, data processing environment 100 may be theInternet. Network 102 may represent a collection of networks andgateways that use the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol(TCP/IP) and other protocols to communicate with one another. At theheart of the Internet is a backbone of data communication links betweenmajor nodes or host computers, including thousands of commercial,governmental, educational, and other computer systems that route dataand messages. Of course, data processing environment 100 also may beimplemented as a number of different types of networks, such as forexample, an intranet, a local area network (LAN), or a wide area network(WAN). FIG. 1 is intended as an example, and not as an architecturallimitation for the different illustrative embodiments.

Among other uses, data processing environment 100 may be used forimplementing a client-server environment in which the illustrativeembodiments may be implemented. A client-server environment enablessoftware applications and data to be distributed across a network suchthat an application functions by using the interactivity between aclient data processing system and a server data processing system. Dataprocessing environment 100 may also employ a service orientedarchitecture where interoperable software components distributed acrossa network may be packaged together as coherent business applications.

With reference to FIG. 2, this figure depicts a block diagram of a dataprocessing system in which illustrative embodiments may be implemented.Data processing system 200 is an example of a computer, such as servers104 and 106, or clients 110, 112, and 114 in FIG. 1, or another type ofdevice in which computer usable program code or instructionsimplementing the processes may be located for the illustrativeembodiments.

Data processing system 200 is also representative of a data processingsystem or a configuration therein, such as data processing system 132 inFIG. 1 in which computer usable program code or instructionsimplementing the processes of the illustrative embodiments may belocated. Data processing system 200 is described as a computer only asan example, without being limited thereto. Implementations in the formof other devices, such as device 132 in FIG. 1, may modify dataprocessing system 200, such as by adding a touch interface, and eveneliminate certain depicted components from data processing system 200without departing from the general description of the operations andfunctions of data processing system 200 described herein.

In the depicted example, data processing system 200 employs a hubarchitecture including North Bridge and memory controller hub (NB/MCH)202 and South Bridge and input/output (I/O) controller hub (SB/ICH) 204.Processing unit 206, main memory 208, and graphics processor 210 arecoupled to North Bridge and memory controller hub (NB/MCH) 202.Processing unit 206 may contain one or more processors and may beimplemented using one or more heterogeneous processor systems.Processing unit 206 may be a multi-core processor. Graphics processor210 may be coupled to NB/MCH 202 through an accelerated graphics port(AGP) in certain implementations.

In the depicted example, local area network (LAN) adapter 212 is coupledto South Bridge and I/O controller hub (SB/ICH) 204. Audio adapter 216,keyboard and mouse adapter 220, modem 222, read only memory (ROM) 224,universal serial bus (USB) and other ports 232, and PCI/PCIe devices 234are coupled to South Bridge and I/O controller hub 204 through bus 238.Hard disk drive (HDD) or solid-state drive (SSD) 226 and CD-ROM 230 arecoupled to South Bridge and I/O controller hub 204 through bus 240.PCI/PCIe devices 234 may include, for example, Ethernet adapters, add-incards, and PC cards for notebook computers. PCI uses a card buscontroller, while PCIe does not. ROM 224 may be, for example, a flashbinary input/output system (BIOS). Hard disk drive 226 and CD-ROM 230may use, for example, an integrated drive electronics (IDE), serialadvanced technology attachment (SATA) interface, or variants such asexternal-SATA (eSATA) and micro-SATA (mSATA). A super I/O (SIO) device236 may be coupled to South Bridge and I/O controller hub (SB/ICH) 204through bus 238.

Memories, such as main memory 208, ROM 224, or flash memory (not shown),are some examples of computer usable storage devices. Hard disk drive orsolid state drive 226, CD-ROM 230, and other similarly usable devicesare some examples of computer usable storage devices including acomputer usable storage medium.

An operating system runs on processing unit 206. The operating systemcoordinates and provides control of various components within dataprocessing system 200 in FIG. 2. The operating system may be acommercially available operating system such as AIX® (AIX is a trademarkof International Business Machines Corporation in the United States andother countries), Microsoft® Windows® (Microsoft and Windows aretrademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and othercountries), Linux® (Linux is a trademark of Linus Torvalds in the UnitedStates and other countries), iOS™ (iOS is a trademark of Cisco Systems,Inc. licensed to Apple Inc. in the United States and in othercountries), or Android™ (Android is a trademark of Google Inc., in theUnited States and in other countries). An object oriented programmingsystem, such as the Java™ programming system, may run in conjunctionwith the operating system and provide calls to the operating system fromJava™ programs or applications executing on data processing system 200(Java and all Java-based trademarks and logos are trademarks orregistered trademarks of Oracle Corporation and/or its affiliates).

Instructions for the operating system, the object-oriented programmingsystem, and applications or programs, such as application 105 in FIG. 1,are located on storage devices, such as in the form of code 226A on harddisk drive 226, and may be loaded into at least one of one or morememories, such as main memory 208, for execution by processing unit 206.The processes of the illustrative embodiments may be performed byprocessing unit 206 using computer implemented instructions, which maybe located in a memory, such as, for example, main memory 208, read onlymemory 224, or in one or more peripheral devices.

Furthermore, in one case, code 226A may be downloaded over network 201Afrom remote system 201B, where similar code 201C is stored on a storagedevice 201D. in another case, code 226A may be downloaded over network201A to remote system 201B, where downloaded code 201C is stored on astorage device 201D.

The hardware in FIGS. 1-2 may vary depending on the implementation.Other internal hardware or peripheral devices, such as flash memory,equivalent non-volatile memory, or optical disk drives and the like, maybe used in addition to or in place of the hardware depicted in FIGS.1-2. In addition, the processes of the illustrative embodiments may beapplied to a multiprocessor data processing system.

In some illustrative examples, data processing system 200 may be apersonal digital assistant (PDA), which is generally configured withflash memory to provide non-volatile memory for storing operating systemfiles and/or user-generated data. A bus system may comprise one or morebuses, such as a system bus, an I/O bus, and a PCI bus. Of course, thebus system may be implemented using any type of communications fabric orarchitecture that provides for a transfer of data between differentcomponents or devices attached to the fabric or architecture.

A communications unit may include one or more devices used to transmitand receive data, such as a modem or a network adapter. A memory may be,for example, main memory 208 or a cache, such as the cache found inNorth Bridge and memory controller hub 202. A processing unit mayinclude one or more processors or CPUs.

The depicted examples in FIGS. 1-2 and above-described examples are notmeant to imply architectural limitations. For example, data processingsystem 200 also may be a tablet computer, laptop computer, or telephonedevice in addition to taking the form of a mobile or wearable device.

Where a computer or data processing system is described as a virtualmachine, a virtual device, or a virtual component, the virtual machine,virtual device, or the virtual component operates in the manner of dataprocessing system 200 using virtualized manifestation of some or allcomponents depicted in data processing system 200. For example, in avirtual machine, virtual device, or virtual component, processing unit206 is manifested as a virtualized instance of all or some number ofhardware processing units 206 available in a host data processingsystem, main memory 208 is manifested as a virtualized instance of allor some portion of main memory 208 that may be available in the hostdata processing system, and disk 226 is manifested as a virtualizedinstance of all or some portion of disk 226 that may be available in thehost data processing system. The host data processing system in suchcases is represented by data processing system 200.

With reference to FIG. 3, this figure depicts a block diagram of anexample configuration for managing reuse of assets in a workflowmanagement system in accordance with an illustrative embodiment.Application 302 is an example of application 105 in FIG. 1. Components304 and 306 are parts of application 302.

Asset source 308 is an example of any of data processing systems 107,110, 112, or 132 in FIG. 1. Asset source 308 is a storage other than amanaged store or a managed library of assets. Asset 310 is a reusableasset stored in asset source 308. Any number of asset sources may beavailable in a given workflow management system, and each such sourcemay share or make available any number and types of reusable assetstherefrom as depicted.

Assume, only as a non-limiting example, that asset 310 is a code typeasset. Application 302 constructs reference 312 to asset 310. Reference312 does not move asset 310 into a managed store or library, but leavesasset 310 at its original location in source 308.

Application 302 also associates with reference 312 a set of experiencereports 314. Component 304 analyzes experience reports 314 correspondingto asset 310 to determine one or more categories of asset 310. Assumeonly as a non-limiting example that list 316 is a current listing ofcategories according to the tasks that are being performed or have beenperformed in the workflow management system. Further assume that list316 includes a number of example categories A, B, C, D, E, and so on.

Component 304 analyzes one or more of experience reports 314 to mapasset 310 to one or more categories in list 316. For example, component304 maps asset 310 to example categories B, D, and E as depicted.

Task management tool 318 is an example of task management tool 115 inFIG. 1. Assume that tool 318 is planning task 320, which has to beperformed in the workflow management system. Tool 318 supplies taskinformation 322 to component 306. Using task information 322, component306 performs a task mapping operation in which task 320 is mapped to oneor more categories in list 316. Task 320 may be mapped to an existingcategory, to a new category (not shown) created for task 320, or somecombination thereof. As a non-limiting example, suppose that task 320 ismapped to existing categories B, C, and D, in list 316.

Up to this point in the process, application 302 has sufficientinformation to determine that asset 310 should be reusable in task 320at least because of common categories B and D to which asset 310 andtask 320 both map. A process according to an embodiment to determinewhether asset 310 has a sufficient degree of usability in task 320—e.g.,greater than a threshold degree of usability in task 320—is describedwith respect to FIG. 4A.

With reference to FIG. 4A, this figure depicts a block diagram of amethod for managing reuse of assets in a workflow management system inaccordance with an illustrative embodiment. Application 402 is anexample of application 302 in FIG. 3. Component 404 is an example ofcomponent 304, and component 406 is an example of component 306 in FIG.3. Task information 408 is an example of task information 322 in FIG. 3.

Component 404 performs categorization of a reusable asset using one ormore experience reports associated therewith, in a manner describedherein. Upon receiving task information 408, component 406 performs atask mapping operation.

Specifically, subcomponent 410 determines one or more categoriescorresponding to the task of information 408. In some cases, a taskmanagement tool, such as tool 318 in FIG. 3, may provide one or morecategory identifiers with information 408. In some other cases,information 408, e.g., a task specification, can be analyzed todetermine a category of the corresponding task.

Subcomponent 412 analyzes the experience reports associated with variousreusable assets to identify previously performed tasks that were similarto the task of information 408 according to some similarity factor. Somenon-limiting example similarity factors to regard two tasks as similarinclude, performing a similar function or operation in the workflowmanagement system, performing a similar function or operation in asoftware product, participating in the same or similar software productor development plan, performed or created by the same user or team,using same or similar software or hardware resources in the workflowmanagement system, using the previous task to build the future task, andmany others.

If subcomponent 412 identifies a previous task that is similar to thetask of information 408, subcomponent 414 constructs an asset collectionfrom the reusable assets that were used in the similar previous task. Ifmore than one similar previous tasks are found, more than one collectioncan be created. In some cases, it may be possible to construct more thanone collection from a single similar previous task.

When subcomponent 414 produces an asset collection, subcomponent 416encapsulates the collection into an asset form. The encapsulated assetincludes all the reusable assets in the collection and a set ofencapsulated experience reports as described herein.

Asset collections 418 (A1) through 420 (Ax) are examples of assetcollections encapsulated in this manner. For example, if a collectionidentified by subcomponent 414 includes asset R1, that asset R1 togetherwith all, some, or none of its corresponding experience reports (E1) isincluded in encapsulated asset A1, which represents the collection. Notethat experience reports in E1 are separate from and in addition to anyexperience reports that may be extracted from the experience reports ofR1 and included in encapsulated experience reports of A1 (EE1). EE1pertain to the usage of the collection in the similar previous task. Inthis manner example A1 comprises R1-E1, R3-E3, . . . , Rn-En, and EE1,where R1, R3, . . . , Rn are example assets from the collection.Similarly, if another collection is identified, correspondingencapsulated asset (Ax) comprises R1-E1, R5-E5, . . . , Rp-Ep, andencapsulated experience reports of Ax (EEx), where R1, R5, . . . , Rpare example assets from the other collection.

A priority of an encapsulated asset, e.g., of A1 or Ax, can be computedusing their respective encapsulated experience reports, e.g., EE1 orEEx, respectively, in a manner described herein. The computed prioritycan be associated with the encapsulated asset. Furthermore, a separateexperience report can be associated with the asset collection itself,such that collections can be recursively nested andevaluated/prioritized with respect to each other in the context of thecategory of tasks within which they are typically used. The prioritycomputation can be configured to take into account such separateexperience reports in a manner similar to EE1 or EEx as describedherein.

Alternatively, when subcomponent 412 identifies distinct reusableassets—whether in lieu of or in addition to a collection of reusableassets—subcomponent 414 computes their priorities for their respectivecategories. For example, asset 422 may be asset R1 together with itscorresponding set of experience reports (E1), and a computed priorityfor each of one or more categories in which asset R1 can be categorized.Similarly, any number of individual assets may be identified, e.g.,asset 424 may be asset Rj together with its corresponding set ofexperience reports (Ej), and a computed priority for each of one or morecategories in which asset Rj can be categorized.

Depending on the particular use-case, application 402 outputsprioritized assets 422-424, prioritized encapsulated assets 418-420, orsome combination thereof to the task management tool that suppliedinformation 408. The tool provides a selection input, which selects oneor more of the outputs, for example, some combination of outputs 418-420and 422-424. Component 426 detects or receives the selection. Component426 enables the task being planned in the tool, or causes the tool toenable the task, to become associated with the selected asset or assetsin a selected collection/encapsulated asset.

Component 428 begins collecting experience data from the task about anasset associated with the task. Component 428 adds or modifies, orenables the addition or modification of, the experience reports of theassociated asset using the collected experience data.

Component 404 which initially categorized an asset dynamically detectsany changes to the experience reports that form the basis of thecategorization. The addition or modification of an experience report ofan asset thus causes component 404 to re-evaluate the asset categories,and may cause component 404 to dynamically change or recategorize theasset.

With reference to FIG. 4B, this figure depicts a nested encapsulatedasset in accordance with an illustrative embodiment. Asset collection452 (Ay) can be output from application 402 of FIG. 4A in a mannersimilar to asset collections 418 (A1) through 420 (Ax).

For example, encapsulated asset Ay may include any number of individualassets e.g., asset Ra, together with all, some, or none of itscorresponding experience reports (Ea). [Rb, Eb], [Rs, Es], [Rt, Et], and[Ru, Eu] are some more individual assets and some or all of theirexperience reports are similarly included in encapsulated asset Ay.

Encapsulated asset Ay may also include other encapsulated assets. Inother words, just as an individual asset can be included in anencapsulated asset, an encapsulated asset can be treated as just anotherasset and nested within another encapsulated asset. In the depictedexample, Ay 452 is shown to have nested therein encapsulated assets A1418 and Ax 420 of FIG. 4A. Any number of assets and encapsulated assetscan be nested in this manner, and any number of nesting levels can becreated within the scope of the illustrative embodiments. As describedwith respect to FIG. 4A, the experience reports of Ay (EEy) are separatefrom and in addition to any experience reports that may be extractedfrom the experience reports of an included individual or encapsulatedasset. EEy pertain to the usage of the Ay collection in a similarprevious task.

With reference to FIG. 5, this figure depicts a flowchart of an exampleprocess for categorizing a reusable asset in accordance with anillustrative embodiment. Process 500 can be implemented in application402 in FIG. 4A.

The application identifies an asset at an asset source (block 502). Theapplication creates or updates a reference to the asset (block 504). Theapplication analyzes a set of experience reports associated with thereferenced asset (block 506).

The application determines whether an analysis of an experience reportindicates that the asset has been previously used in a category of tasks(block 508). If the asset has been previously used in a category oftasks (“Yes” path of block 508), the application categorizes the assetinto the category (block 510). If the asset has not been previously usedin a category of tasks (“No” path of block 508), the applicationproceeds to block 512.

The application determines whether the experience reports of the assethave to be analyzed against more task categories (block 512). If theexperience reports of the asset have to be analyzed against more taskcategories (“Yes” path of block 512), the application returns to block508 and evaluates another task category. If the experience reports ofthe asset do not have to be analyzed against more task categories (“No”path of block 512), the application may end process 500 thereafter.

Alternatively, the application may continue examining the experiencereports of the asset to determine whether an experience report has beenadded, deleted, or updated (block 514). If no experience report of theasset is added, deleted, or updated (“No” path of block 514), theapplication may continue examining the experience reports for additions,deletions, or updates. If or when an experience report of the asset isadded, deleted, or updated (“Yes” path of block 514), the applicationreturns process 500 to block 506 for a re-analysis.

With reference to FIG. 6, this figure depicts a flowchart of an exampleprocess for associating reusable assets with a task in accordance withan illustrative embodiment. Process 600 can be implemented inapplication 402 in FIG. 4A.

The application receives information about a task in which an existingasset has to be reused (block 602). The application identifies one ormore categories applicable to the task (block 604). The application thenfollows one or both of two paths in process 600.

According to one path, the application selects a reference to an assetthat has been categorized in a category of the task (block 606). Theapplication analyzes the experience reports of the asset to determineusage of the asset in previous tasks of a similar category (block 608).Using the result of the analysis, the application evaluates a priority,degree of usability, or degree of fit of the asset in the category(block 610).

The application repeats blocks 606-610 any number of times as may beneeded depending on the number of assets and the number of categoriesthat have to be evaluated in this manner until such time as theassociated task is deemed complete by the user. The application arrangesthe references to the evaluated assets according to their respectivepriorities (block 612). The application may execute the other path ofprocess 600 or proceed to block 624 thereafter.

According to the other path through process 600, the applicationidentifies a set or a collection of assets that was used in a previoussimilar task (block 614). The application encapsulates the collection asan encapsulated asset (block 616). The application associates experiencereports from the previous similar task with the encapsulated asset,forming encapsulated experience reports (block 618). The applicationanalyzes the encapsulated experience reports to determine a priority,degree of usability, or degree of fit of the asset in a category of thetask being planned (block 620).

The application repeats blocks 614-620 any number of times as may beneeded depending on the number of collections and the number ofcategories that have to be evaluated in this manner until such time asthe associated task is deemed complete by the user. The applicationarranges the encapsulated assets according to their respectivepriorities (block 622). The application proceeds to block 624thereafter.

The application presents the prioritized list or lists of assetreferences, encapsulated assets, or some combination thereof forselection in the task (block 624). The application ends process 600thereafter.

In one embodiment, the presentation at block 624 occurs in response toreceiving a request to view a recommendation—e.g., a recommended task—ina task management tool. In response to such a request, the applicationdisplays or otherwise presents, at block 624, the experience reports ofassets related to the recommendation, thereby allowing a user to viewall of the experiences that users have had with an asset while executingthe recommended task.

In one embodiment, the presentation at block 624 occurs in response toreceiving a request to view a task in a task management tool. Inresponse to such a request, the application displays or otherwisepresents, at block 624, the experience reports of assets related to thetask, thereby allowing a user to view all of the experiences that usershave had with an asset while executing the task.

Furthermore, when an asset related to a recommendation or task arepresented at block 624, one embodiment presents the assets as and wherethey are located in the data processing environment. For example,different assets may be located across different computers in the dataprocessing environment, and when a user requests to view an assetrelated to a recommendation or a task, the presentation from theembodiment allows the user to view that asset in the originalenvironment of the asset.

With reference to FIG. 7, this figure depicts a flowchart of an exampleprocess for dynamic recategorization of reusable assets in accordancewith an illustrative embodiment. Process 700 can be implemented inapplication 402 in FIG. 4A.

The application receives an input associating a referenced asset or anencapsulated asset with a task (block 702). The application enablesexperience reporting for the asset or encapsulated asset from the task(block 704).

The application captures experience data from the task about thereferenced asset, the encapsulated asset, or an asset in theencapsulated asset, as the case may be (block 706). The applicationadds, deletes, updates, or otherwise manipulates an experience report ofthe referenced asset, the encapsulated asset, or the asset in theencapsulated asset (block 708). The application dynamicallyrecategorizes the referenced asset, the encapsulated asset, or the assetin the encapsulated asset based on the manipulated experience report(block 710). The application ends process 700 thereafter.

Thus, a computer implemented method, system or apparatus, and computerprogram product are provided in the illustrative embodiments formanaging reuse of assets in a workflow management system and otherrelated features, functions, or operations. Where an embodiment or aportion thereof is described with respect to a type of device, thecomputer implemented method, system or apparatus, the computer programproduct, or a portion thereof, are adapted or configured for use with asuitable and comparable manifestation of that type of device.

Where an embodiment is described as implemented in an application, thedelivery of the application in a Software as a Service (SaaS) model iscontemplated within the scope of the illustrative embodiments. In a SaaSmodel, the capability of the application implementing an embodiment isprovided to a user by executing the application in a cloudinfrastructure. The user can access the application using a variety ofclient devices through a thin client interface such as a web browser(e.g., web-based e-mail), or other light-weight client-applications. Theuser does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructureincluding the network, servers, operating systems, or the storage of thecloud infrastructure. In some cases, the user may not even manage orcontrol the capabilities of the SaaS application. In some other cases,the SaaS implementation of the application may permit a possibleexception of limited user-specific application configuration settings.

The present invention may be a system, a method, and/or a computerprogram product at any possible technical detail level of integration.The computer program product may include a computer readable storagemedium (or media) having computer readable program instructions thereonfor causing a processor to carry out aspects of the present invention.

The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that canretain and store instructions for use by an instruction executiondevice. The computer readable storage medium may be, for example, but isnot limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device,an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, asemiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of theforegoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of thecomputer readable storage medium includes the following: a portablecomputer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), aread-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROMor Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portablecompact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD),a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such aspunch-cards or raised structures in a groove having instructionsrecorded thereon, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. Acomputer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construedas being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freelypropagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagatingthrough a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulsespassing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmittedthrough a wire.

Computer readable program instructions described herein can bedownloaded to respective computing/processing devices from a computerreadable storage medium or to an external computer or external storagedevice via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, awide area network and/or a wireless network. The network may comprisecopper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wirelesstransmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and/oredge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in eachcomputing/processing device receives computer readable programinstructions from the network and forwards the computer readable programinstructions for storage in a computer readable storage medium withinthe respective computing/processing device.

Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations ofthe present invention may be assembler instructions,instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions,machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions,state-setting data, configuration data for integrated circuitry, oreither source code or object code written in any combination of one ormore programming languages, including an object oriented programminglanguage such as Smalltalk, C++, or the like, and procedural programminglanguages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programminglanguages. The computer readable program instructions may executeentirely on the user's computer, partly on the user's computer, as astand-alone software package, partly on the user's computer and partlyon a remote computer or entirely on the remote computer or server. Inthe latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user'scomputer through any type of network, including a local area network(LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to anexternal computer (for example, through the Internet using an InternetService Provider). In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including,for example, programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gatearrays (FPGA), or programmable logic arrays (PLA) may execute thecomputer readable program instructions by utilizing state information ofthe computer readable program instructions to personalize the electroniccircuitry, in order to perform aspects of the present invention.

Aspects of the present invention are described herein with reference toflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus(systems), and computer program products according to embodiments of theinvention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in theflowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented bycomputer readable program instructions.

These computer readable program instructions may be provided to aprocessor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, orother programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, suchthat the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computeror other programmable data processing apparatus, create means forimplementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructionsmay also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can directa computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and/or otherdevices to function in a particular manner, such that the computerreadable storage medium having instructions stored therein comprises anarticle of manufacture including instructions which implement aspects ofthe function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram blockor blocks.

The computer readable program instructions may also be loaded onto acomputer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other deviceto cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer,other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computerimplemented process, such that the instructions which execute on thecomputer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement thefunctions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block orblocks.

The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate thearchitecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementationsof systems, methods, and computer program products according to variousembodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in theflowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portionof instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions forimplementing the specified logical function(s). In some alternativeimplementations, the functions noted in the blocks may occur out of theorder noted in the Figures. For example, two blocks shown in successionmay, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks maysometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon thefunctionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of theblock diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, and combinations of blocksin the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustration, can be implementedby special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specifiedfunctions or acts or carry out combinations of special purpose hardwareand computer instructions.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: determining, by a server, a category of a task being planned at a given time; identifying a collection of assets stored in at least one data processing system in communication with the server, wherein the collection has been used in a similar task at a past time; extracting into a set of encapsulated experience reports, an experience report associated with an asset in the collection, wherein the experience report was generated from the similar task at the past time; computing, using a processor and a memory, a degree of usability corresponding to the collection in the category based upon the set of encapsulated experience reports, the collection being usable in the category of the task up to the degree of usability; positioning, according to the degree of usability of the collection, the collection in a sorted list of reusable assets; selecting a reusable asset from the sorted list for use in the task; receiving, from the task, an update to an experience report associated with the selected reusable asset, the update forming an updated experience report; reanalyzing a set of experience reports associated with the selected reusable asset to determine a category modification associated with the selected reusable asset, the category of the selected reusable asset being dynamic and changeable with respect to a reuse in which the selected reusable asset participates, the set of experience reports including the updated experience report; and recomputing a second degree of usability corresponding to the reusable asset, the reusable asset being usable in the category of the task up to the second degree of usability.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: identifying a second reusable asset located in a workflow management system, wherein the second reusable asset is situated under a control of an owner of the second reusable asset, and wherein the second reusable asset is categorized in the category; analyzing a set of experience reports associated with the second reusable asset, wherein an experience report in the set of experience reports of the second reusable asset was generated from a different previous task, wherein the different previous task also belonged to the category; computing a second degree of usability corresponding to the second reusable asset, the second reusable asset being usable in the category of the task up to the second degree of usability; positioning, according to the second degree of usability of the second reusable asset, the second reusable asset in a sorted list of reusable assets.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the selected reusable asset is the second reusable asset.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected reusable asset is the collection.
 5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: analyzing a task information associated with the task to identify a function performed by the task in a workflow management system; and selecting the category wherein the category corresponds to the function performed by the task.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: enabling the task to update an experience report associated with the selected reusable asset.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is embodied in a computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable storage devices and computer-readable program instructions which are stored on the one or more computer-readable tangible storage devices and executed by one or more processors.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the method is embodied in a computer system comprising one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, one or more computer-readable storage devices and program instructions which are stored on the one or more computer-readable storage devices for execution by the one or more processors via the one or more memories and executed by the one or more processors.
 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the category modification includes at least one of determining a new category, changing an existing category, or removing an old category associated with the selected reusable asset.
 10. A computer usable program product comprising one or more computer-readable storage devices, wherein the computer-readable storage devices are not transitory signals per se, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices, the stored program instructions comprising: program instructions to determine, by a server, a category of a task being planned at a given time; program instructions to identify a collection of assets stored in at least one data processing system in communication with the server, wherein the collection has been used in a similar task at a past time; program instructions to extract into a set of encapsulated experience reports, an experience report associated with an asset in the collection, wherein the experience report was generated from the similar task at the past time; program instructions to compute, using a processor and a memory, a degree of usability corresponding to the collection in the category based upon the set of encapsulated experience reports, the collection being usable in the category of the task up to the degree of usability; program instructions to position, according to the degree of usability of the collection, the collection in a sorted list of reusable assets; program instructions to select a reusable asset from the sorted list for use in the task; program instructions to receive, from the task, an update to an experience report associated with the selected reusable asset, the update forming an updated experience report; program instructions to reanalyze a set of experience reports associated with the selected reusable asset to determine a category modification associated with the selected reusable asset, the category of the selected reusable asset being dynamic and changeable with respect to a reuse in which the selected reusable asset participates, the set of experience reports including the updated experience report; and program instructions to recompute a second degree of usability corresponding to the reusable asset, the reusable asset being usable in the category of the task up to the second degree of usability.
 11. The computer usable program product of claim 10, further comprising: program instructions to identify a second reusable asset located in a workflow management system, wherein the second reusable asset is situated under a control of an owner of the second reusable asset, and wherein the second reusable asset is categorized in the category; program instructions to analyze a set of experience reports associated with the second reusable asset, wherein an experience report in the set of experience reports of the second reusable asset was generated from a different previous task, wherein the different previous task also belonged to the category; program instructions to compute a second degree of usability corresponding to the second reusable asset, the second reusable asset being usable in the category of the task up to the second degree of usability; program instructions to position, according to the second degree of usability of the second reusable asset, the second reusable asset in a sorted list of reusable assets.
 12. The computer usable program product of claim 11, wherein the selected reusable asset is the second reusable asset.
 13. The computer usable program product of claim 10, wherein the selected reusable asset is the collection.
 14. The computer usable program product of claim 10, further comprising: program instructions to analyze a task information associated with the task to identify a function performed by the task in a workflow management system; and program instructions to select the category wherein the category corresponds to the function performed by the task.
 15. The computer usable program product of claim 10, further comprising: program instructions to enable the task to update an experience report associated with the selected reusable asset.
 16. A computer system comprising one or more processors, one or more computer-readable memories, and one or more computer-readable storage devices, wherein the one or more computer-readable storage devices are not transitory signals per se, and program instructions stored on at least one of the one or more storage devices for execution by at least one of the one or more processors via at least one of the one or more memories, the stored program instructions comprising: program instructions to determine, by a server, a category of a task being planned at a given time; program instructions to identify a collection of assets stored in at least one data processing system in communication with the server, wherein the collection has been used in a similar task at a past time; program instructions to extract into a set of encapsulated experience reports, an experience report associated with an asset in the collection, wherein the experience report was generated from the similar task at the past time; program instructions to compute, using a processor and a memory, a degree of usability corresponding to the collection in the category based upon the set of encapsulated experience reports, the collection being usable in the category of the task up to the degree of usability; program instructions to position, according to the degree of usability of the collection, the collection in a sorted list of reusable assets; program instructions to select a reusable asset from the sorted list for use in the task; program instructions to receive, from the task, an update to an experience report associated with the selected reusable asset, the update forming an updated experience report; program instructions to reanalyze a set of experience reports associated with the selected reusable asset to determine a category modification associated with the selected reusable asset, the category of the selected reusable asset being dynamic and changeable with respect to a reuse in which the selected reusable asset participates, the set of experience reports including the updated experience report; and program instructions to recompute a second degree of usability corresponding to the reusable asset, the reusable asset being usable in the category of the task up to the second degree of usability.
 17. The computer system of claim 16, further comprising: program instructions to identify a second reusable asset located in a workflow management system, wherein the second reusable asset is situated under a control of an owner of the second reusable asset, and wherein the second reusable asset is categorized in the category; program instructions to analyze a set of experience reports associated with the second reusable asset, wherein an experience report in the set of experience reports of the second reusable asset was generated from a different previous task, wherein the different previous task also belonged to the category; program instructions to compute a second degree of usability corresponding to the second reusable asset, the second reusable asset being usable in the category of the task up to the second degree of usability; program instructions to position, according to the second degree of usability of the second reusable asset, the second reusable asset in a sorted list of reusable assets.
 18. The computer system of claim 17, wherein the selected reusable asset is the second reusable asset.
 19. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the selected reusable asset is the collection. 